The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro - Essay Example

History is a Weapon The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro The fourth of July is a national holiday that spots the sovereignty of the United States of America from British colonial rule. This speech was given by Douglas Fredrick on July fifth in 1852 to commemorate the events that led to the realisation of the Independence Day.The subject matter of the speech is about the forefathers of the nation and their determination to gain sovereignty after colonisation. He appeals to the audience by taking them down reminiscence lane at the beginning of his speech; when he recalls how he managed to escape from a slave plantation a few decades ago.

This remark brings with it, and an emotional appeal of sympathy from his listeners and they are made to see the sincerity of the utterances that will follow.Mr Douglas uses Toulmin as his method of argument. Great Britain is mentioned as the colonial power from which the United States liberated themselves. He frowns upon the mind-set of their colonisers towards their subjects and refers to those as the disastrous times. This he does by bringing to light how the British put restraints and limitations on them because they saw it fit to keep their liberties in check.

It strips their colonisers of their credibility.He seeks pardon for any imperfections that may be detected in his speech and attributes them to his level of education and hastiness that may have been triggered by the magnitude of the occasion. It, therefore, brings about a logical appeal which he seconds with a follow up remark when he refers to the fourth of July as the birth date of the nation. It symbolises a new dawn with which the past injustices that were perpetrated by their colonial masters are gazed upon as a part of a history that has shaped the nation of today.

Word CitedDouglas, Fredrick. ‘The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro. History is a Weapon’. New York: Rochester. July 5. 1852.